Making Money Writing Online Articles

Freelance writers are always looking for new opportunities and new markets for their work, and the Internet has provided a wealth of opportunities. There is also certainly money to be made writing online articles, just don't quit your day job. In the month or so that I have been writing articles for online publication I have earned around $80. This is no giant sum, but those looking for a quick payday are missing the point. Even a small payment allows writers to accomplish something most have never achieved before: being paid for something we would do for free.

For a writer, being paid anything for your work is a victory. Magazines only seem to care about celebrity gossip, newspapers are going out of business every day, and even most published novelists in America are never able to live solely off the income from their books. Therefore I am happy with what I've made so far, and while I hope to increase my earnings, my main goal is to improve my writing.

There are numerous sites that promise cash for articles. In my experience thus far, the one that pays the best for the widest range of topics is Associated Content (www.associatedcontent.com). They pay anywhere from $3 to $20 for articles, which is far better than most sites. AC also makes it easy for you to promote your work through links to various search engines, giving you wider distribution.

Helium (www.helium.com) is another good site for writers. Earnings take longer because they are based on one or two cents for each time someone views one of your articles, and you must have earned at least $25 before requesting payment. However, Helium does have the advantage of your work being reviewed and rated by other writers. Review Stream (www.reviewstream.com) pays for reviews of just about anything, but the minimum amount that must be earned before payout is high.

With any site that promises payment for articles, be sure to thoroughly investigate them before submitting anything. As with anything online today, scams are rampant. One advantage to both Associated Content and Helium is that they never ask for any personal banking information. All payments are made to your PayPal account using your e-mail address.

Whichever route you go, the key is to use each article to improve your writing. Pay attention to the comments you receive, and use any feedback, even negative, to make your next article better. It will take time to build a portfolio and a regular readership, but with luck and hard work, maybe someday the New York Times will call.  And as a final shameless plug, you can view my articles at http://www.associatedcontent.com/brunospen and http://www.helium.com/user/show/69745